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Willow Smith heard the little whispers about her “nepo baby” perks and decided it was time to bring her talents to NPR’s Tiny Desk.
Ahead of the release of her new album empathogen, the 24-year-old daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith set the record straight on for those who think her famous lineage is the sole reason for her success.
“I truly believe that my spirit is a strong spirit and that, even if my parents weren’t who they were, I would still be a weirdo and a crazy thinker,” the singer said in an interview with Allure. “I definitely think that a little bit of insecurity has driven me harder because people do think that the only reason I’m successful is because of my parents. That has driven me to work really hard to try to prove them wrong. But nowadays, I don’t need to prove s**t to anybody.”
Willow also wants people to be real about how far nepotism takes Black people.
Being Black in America, even with privilege, which I’m never going to deny that I have, you’re still Black,” she said. “And I love being Black. People would look at me and [say], ‘Okay, well, her parents are this and that, but she still is like me. She still has brown skin.’ And we all know that that doesn’t exempt you from anything, and that’s a place of connection.”
She also made a stop by The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon where she performed her single “home” alongside a band made up of all women.
Willow‘s first foray into music came in 2011 when she released the Billboard Hot 100 hit “Whip My Hair” at the tender age of 9. The song would peak at No. 5 on the charts and catapult the youngest Smith spawn even further into the spotlight. She was also signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation before choosing to step away from music entirely.
Following the end of the cultural phenomenon Red Table Talk—the Facebook series Willow hosted alongside her mother and grandmother Adrienne Banfield-Norris—it seems she has a little extra time to snatch wigs musically. She made her debut at Coachella last year and her duet with The Anxiety “Meet Me At Our Spot” became a viral social media moment. However, in a talk with Billboard, the “big feelings” singer said her new album is the first where she is “on the same page” with herself.
empathogen features appearances from Jon Batiste and St. Vincent.
Check out Willow Smith’s full Tiny Desk concert below: